About SCA

About Steelwork Compliance Australia and the NSSCS

Steelwork Compliance Australia

Steelwork Compliance Australia (SCA) is the independent auditing and certification authority for structural steelwork. Its sole role is to provide an auditing capability to the range of construction categories defined in the Australian Standard and that, on a project specific level, the engineer has chosen. It operates to ISO 17065 as a certification body for compliance capability to the Australian/New Zealand Standard for fabrication and erection of structural steelwork AS/NZS 5131. The SCA is an open scheme to all Australian and overseas fabricators.

The SCA is the auditing and certification body of the National Structural Steelwork Compliance Scheme (NSSCS). The intellectual property of the NSSCS is owned by the Australian Steel Institute (ASI).

The objective of Steelwork Compliance Australia (SCA) is to provide quality compliance certification for the supply, fabrication and erection of structural steelwork to be used in Australia, giving clients the ability to select steelwork fabricators who have been independently assessed as having capability to achieve compliance to the relevant Australian Standards required to complete the Construction Category for their project.

The SCA provides quality compliance certification for the supply, fabrication and erection of structural steelwork to be used in Australia for general structural fabrication and bridges designed to AS 4100 and AS/NZS 5100. 

Structure of the NSSCS

The four pillars approach to compliance means that the National Structural Steelwork Compliance Scheme (NSSCS) has a holistic approach. The pillars are the Fabrication Standard AS/NZS 5131, a Conformity Assessment statement, Construction Categories and the auditing authority, Steelwork Compliance Australia.

Adherence to the NSSCS will mean fully compliant product for Australian steelwork, a level playing field for all and certainty and risk reduction for contractors.

For more information regarding the NSSCS and the National Structural Steelwork Specification for engineers, refer to the Australian Steel Institute website.

Did you know SCA offers generous discounts for ASI members? SCA has negotiated this arrangement with ASI to make this offer possible. You might like to consider membership of ASI to secure these generous discounts.

AS/NZS 5131

Prior to the publication of AS/NZS 5131, Australia and New Zealand were the only countries in the developed world without a dedicated stand-alone Standard for fabrication and erection of structural steelwork. In today’s increasingly global procurement environment, where structural steelwork for Australian projects is being supplied by both local and overseas based fabricators, a rigorous and transparent definition of good quality is more necessary than ever. AS/NZS 5131 sets the quality benchmark Australia expects to ensure safe structures.

AS/NZS 5131 contains essential information for the fabrication and erection of compliant steelwork in Australia.

In summary:

  • It is philosophically based on the European standard EN 1090.2
  • Contains and expands on fabrication and erection provisions previously in AS 4100
  • Contains elements of scope covered by other international Codes of Practice
  • Addresses product conformity
  • Does NOT address Conformity Assessment, which is covered by the NSSCS
  • Introduces the concept of ‘Construction Category’ which is also defined in AS 4100

The scope of AS/NZS5131 includes:

  • Product and fabrication covered by AS 4100 and NZS 3404
  • Product and fabrication covered by AS/NZS 5100.6
  • Product and fabrication covered by AS/NZS 4600 (in part)
  • Good practice as defined by industry experts on the Standards Australia Committee BD-01

Read more about the essential components of AS/NZS 5131 here:

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AS/NZS 5131 is available for purchase through Standards Australia, SAI Global or Techstreet

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